Arizona's rockabilly music scene has a new voice in Mesa's "devilish duet" The Devil's Daughters. Sultry sirens Mysti Moon and Lisa Mortensen are equipped with drop-dead stares and cool croons, and a swinging band to announce their arrival.
Backed by drummer Leeroy Nelson, guitarist Shorty Kruetz, and stand-up bassist Tommy Collins, the Double-D gals released a three-track demo yesterday, sampling their sweet brand of Americana.
You can download the digital album that features the twangy jam "Pass That Bottle" and the slow heavy-hitting bass line of, "I, We, You, Me," at the band's bandcamp page.
Follow the jump to check 'em out.
Up on the Sun: This being your first record, can you talk about what the recording process has been like thus far? Were there any hangups or setbacks during these first few tracks?
Lisa Mortensen: We were fortunate enough to have a smooth recording process. Two of the three members in our backup band have been recording music for 20 years. However, Mysti and I were still both a little nervous, because I had only ever played live shows and had never recorded anything. Mysti, although she's recorded several times before, had never recorded with another singer. What we love so much about this demo is the unique way that [Phoenix recording studio] Electric Lotus Music recorded us. It's called "Live Recording," where all of the instruments are played together in the same room while we laid down scratch vocals for the guys to follow along. Everything was recorded using an analog board and without the use of ProTools, so it gives our music that old-school studio sound.
What's been the biggest challenge you guys have faced at this stage of the game?
Mysti Moon: Originally, our biggest challenge was trying to find musicians who would commit to playing in a band with two female singers.
Mortensen: After nearly nine months of posting want ads and physically seeking out band members without any luck -- not to mention the trouble we had finding musicians who knew what rockabilly music was -- we almost gave up. However, now as a newly formed band, we're not only learning how to work together as musicians, but as business partners. The fun part is performing the songs, but the stuff that goes on behind the scenes when forming a new band can be hectic, so we all decided early on to come up with a game plan, to keep things running smoothly."
You mentioned an upcoming video, what else is on the horizon for The Devil's Daughters?
Mortensen: As you mentioned, we've just completed a music video produced by Berco Productions for our song "Pass That Bottle," which Pabst Blue Ribbon helped sponsor. We felt that it was important to shine a light on the Arizona rockabilly scene, so we included a lot of the Arizona car clubs, artists, and swing dance groups in our video. In fact, they've supported the Devil's Daughters since day one. Look for our music video to be on YouTube, beginning this Saturday, May 26.
Our backup band, which is Leeroy Nelson, Shorty Kreutz, and Tommy Collins, begin touring Europe for the next six weeks, so while they are away The Devil's Daughters are taking that as an opportunity to really hone in on our vocals, while also writing lyrics and learning new songs.
Moon: We've also been approached by some people in the entertainment industry, so we'll be meeting with them to discuss what else might be in store for our band.
Any word on the next show date?
Mortensen: We're booking gigs beginning in August, after the guys get back from Europe and we've had time to get some new songs down. We'll be sure to post any gigs we book on our Facebook page.
